Nasa Web Russia Will Deliver Seven Soyuz Spaceships For The Launch From Kourou In French Guiana

"ARIANESPACE AND ROSCOSMOS SET TO LAUNCH SEVEN SOYUZ SPACESHIPS FROM KOUROU"

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Russia will deliver seven Soyuz spaceships for the launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The relevant agreement was fixed in a joint programme of Russia's federal space agency Roscosmos and France's Arianespace, the world-leading supplier of commercial launch services, for 2016-2019, source told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. "In general, the agreement has already been initialled. At present, some details have to be finalized," the source said.

"The talks have been underway for more than a year and their participants have no intention to abandon the goals they have set. The sides consciously did not mix politics and space research," the source said, reminding of the situation around Ukraine.

"It is not ruled out that the dates will be corrected," the source said, adding that initially it was planned to sign the document in April.

The first launch of a Soyuz spacecraft from the Kourou launch site took place in autumn 2011. Four launches are scheduled for 2014. On April 4, a Soyuz-St rocket will take into space Sentinel-1A, an Earth observation satellite, from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana.

Credit: ITAR-TASS

Soyuz Crew Readied For Morning Flight To Iss

Expedition 30 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers appeared before the Russian State Commission on December 20, 2011, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. LIFT-OFF IS SET FOR 8:16 AM EST WEDNESDAY.The commission gave its FINAL APPROVAL FOR THEIR LAUNCH DECEMBER 21, 2011 [8:16 AM EST Wednesday] to the International Space Station. The crew also conducted a final pre-launch news conference at the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters as they prepared for liftoff in the Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft. A NASA spokesperson described the temperatures as "bitterly cold." The temperature was about minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit.The trio will spend five months on the Station. Also featured in the video are the backup crew members, Russian Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, NASA Flight Engineer Suni Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide.

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